Enter lock for elevators



Jan. 15

E. CARLSON ENTER LOCK FOR ELEVATORS Filed Aug. 30 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 15, 1924.

E. CARLSON ENTER LOCK FOR ELEVATORS Filed Aug. 30. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jan. .15, 1924. 1,481,121

E. CARLSON ENTER LOCK FOR ELEVATORS Filed Aug- 30 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan.15,1924. v 1,481,1Zl

narrate stares; Mum-cams;

EDWIN camisole, or MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA. I

ENTER LOCK non nan-venous.

Application filed August 30, 1922. Serial No. 585,297.

T all whom it may concern: with .the exception that the car-is for an Be it known thatI, EDWIN CARLsoN, a electric elevator;-

citizen of the United States, residing at Fig. 6 is a'view. partly in elevation and Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and partly in vertical section taken on the-.line rltate of Minnesota, haveinvented certain 6-6 of F ig.- 5; and new and useful Improvements in Enter Fig. 7 is a view'in' diagram showing a Looks for Elevators; and I, do hereby deswitch and controlling, means for the car clare the following to be a full, clear, and illustratedin Fig. 5 5 V exact description of the invention, such as Referring first to the invention illustrated will enable others skilled in the art to which in Figs. 1 and 2,-the numeralS indicates the it appertains to make and use the same. car of a hydraulic elevator arranged to My present invention has for its object travel'in an elevator-shaft?) which extends to provide an extremelysimple and highly through a building; floor 10, and. which-eleciiicient enter lock for elevators, and which vator shaft is provided with a horizontally enter lock is of the type whereby the movable closure gate-11. Saidear 8 is propower-controlling means for the elevator vided with a power-controlling lever 12 car is mechanically and automatically locked which extends upward. within said car when said car is at rest with its floor level through a. slot in the floor thereof. All of with the building floor or within a predeterthe above. parts are ofwell known. and mined distance' bove or below the same, and standard construction, the opening movefor mechanically and automatically'locking 'ment of the gate being in ,thedirection of the elevator shaft closure gateclosed and thezarrow marked on Fig. 1. g for releasing the same by a movement of V A forked rocker-13 is. pivoted at 14 to and 9 said power-controlling means to neutral between a pair of laterally spaced-plates .15 position. rigidlylsecured to. the building floor 10 at To the above end, generally stated, the-inone side of the gate l l and justrearward vention consists of the novel devices and thereof, when said gate is. "closed. This combinations of devices hereinafter derocker 13 isarranged to swing in thedirec- 76 scribed and defined in the claims. tion of the movement of the gate 11, and its In the accompanying drawings, which prongs are indicated by-the numerals 16 and illustrate the invention, like characters indi- 17. The rocker 13 is arranged'to receivebeoate like parts throughout the several views. tween its prongs 16 and 17, when the gate 11 referring to the drawings: 7 1 is closed, a roller 18 mounted on the"rear; Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view, with some vertical edge of said gate. H

' parts sectioned, showing a car for a hy- To look the rocker 13 ina position to hold i draulic elevator, the floor of a building and the gate 11 closed, I provide a latch in the a shaft closure gate, the gate being closed; form of a vertically disposed dog 19;interis a view partly in elevation and mediately pivoted at 20 to a rearw ardlyexartly in vertical section taken 'on the hue tended arm 21 onthe prongs 1601f the rocker 13. Formed with the lower end of the lock 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. ,1 dog 19 is a tooth 22 arranged to interlock. different means for controlling under the action of gravity, with any one of ating lever when in neutral position.

a in horizontal section taken on the line 4'4 mounted between the plates 15 and rigidly I m Fig. r secured thereto. Also mounted between the.

5 is a view corresponding 'to Fig.1 plates 15 and rigidly secured-- thereto is a a plurality ofteeth formed in the rear edge Fig. 1- is a view partly in plan andpartly "of a vertically disposed ratchetr bar 23 bar-like abutment 24 which is rearwardly spaced from the ratchet bar 23 and between which abutment and ratchet bar the lock dog 19 is free to move both vertically and horizontally. When the gate 11 is closed, the tooth 22 of the lock dog 19 is interlocked with one of the teeth of the ratchet bar 23, as shown in Fig. 1, which in turn holds the rocker 13 locked to prevent the gate 11 from being opened.

To operate the lock dog 19 and thereby release the same from the ratchet bar 23 and permit the gate 11 to open, when the floor of the elevator car 8 is either flush with the building floor or within a predetermined distance above or below the same, I provide an upright cam bar 25 arranged to engage a laterally offset striking surface on the upper end of the lock dog 19 which, as shown, is inthe form of a roller-equipped stud 26. Said cam bar 25- is provided with upper and lower end extensions 27 and '28, respectively, that are rearwardly inclined to guide the roller-equipped stud 26 onto said cam bar. Between the lower end of the cam bar 25 and its extension 28 is a rearwardly oflset cam surface 29 which extends parallel tothe c'am bar 25 and provided for a purpose which will presentlyappear.

The cam bar 25 is held upright for parallel horizontal adjustment by upper and lower-bell cranks 30 pivoted to a bearing block 31 secured-to the elevator car'8 on the outside thereof. The depending vertical arms of the bell cranks 30 are pivoted to a 'pair'of horizontal lugs 32 rigidly secured to the back of the cam bai-25. The horizontal arms ofthe bel'l'cranks 30 are pivoted to an upright link' 33 which, inturn, is connected to a head 34'by {a rod 35 in the form of an eye-bol the head of which is pivotedto the upper end of said link. At its upper end the rod 35 extends through a laterally offset sleevebea'ring 36 on the lower end of the head 34 and is held therein by a nut 37, A

coiled spring 38 encircling the rod 35 is compressed between the lower end of the sleeve bearing '36, and a nut 39, having screw-threaded engagement with said rod. Thi spring 38 will yield and permit the rod 35 to movenp'ward through the sleeve bearing 36 in case he cam bar 25 is moved while the head 34-is h eld, as will presently appear. adjusting the nut 39 on the rod 35, the tension of the spring 38 may be varied, at will. i

The head 34 islocated on the inside of the elevator car 8 and is secured thereto with freedom for vertical movement by a nutequipped bolt 40 which is secured in the wall of' 'aid elevator car and extends through a slot 41 in .the head 34. Said head 34 is held againstpivotal inovement'on the bolt 40 by its sleeve-like bearing 36 which extends through a vertical slot 42 in the wall of the elevator car 8 with freedom for vertical movement therein.

Formed with the head 34 is a pair of. on

positely extended wing-like extensions 43,

also the cam surfaces 46 downwardly diverge from the operating lever 12 when in neutral position. A roller-equipped stud 47 is secured to the operating lever'12 and extends into th lot- 44 for engagement with the cam surfaces4 5 and 46 under the action of said lever.

When the operatinglever 12 is in neutral position, its roller-equipped stud 47 is midway between the two' cam surfaces 45, and the head 34 is sup orted thereon. In this position of the hea 34, the cam bar 25 is positioned toengage the roller-equipped stud 26 and thereby release the lock dog 19 from the ratchet bar 23, when the elevator car 8 is positioned with its floor substantially in a line with the building fiotr. Formed in the head 34 below the slot 44 midway between the two cam surfaces 46, is a lock notch 48,

adapted to receive the roller-equipped stud' 47 when the head34 is raised, as will presently appear, to lock the lever 12 in neutral 1 position. A depending lug 49 on the rocker 13 is arranged to engage a transverse' 'in 50 secured to and between the plates 15 and thereby limit the movement of said rockerduring the closing of the gate 11.

In F ig. '1, the gate 11 isclosed and the-car I 8 is shown in a stopped osition with its floor just above the buildingfioor 10. A slight downward movement of the car will cause the cam bar 25 to engage the rollerequippe d stud 26 and thereby release the lock dog 19 from the abutment 23' and move the'lower end ofsaid lock dog .in en-- the building floor 10 and; is still ina position to release the lock dog 19. With the lock dog 19 released, the gate '11 may be moved into'an open position and its initial opening movement will cause the roller 18 to swing the rocker 13 rearward and, as the lower end of the lockdog 19 is in engagement with the abutment. 24, said abutment acts as'a fulcrum therefor and causes the roller-equipped stud 26 to move the cam bar 25 rearward and thereby, through the bell cranks 30, lift the head 34 to arry its lock notch 48 into a position to receive'the roller-equlpped stud 47 and thereby lock the operating lever 12 in neutral position. Before the roller 18 has moved the rocker 13 into a pfosltion in which it will move out of engagement therewith, the pivotal connection between said rocker andthe lock dog 19 will have beenmoved beyond a dead center, and asthe cam bar imparts a direct pressure on the rollerequipped stud 26 toward the gate 11, the lock dog 19 and rocker 13 will be securely held by the'cam bar 25 in an inoperative position.

During the closing movement of the gate 11, its roller 18 will engage the prong 17 of i L niit the same to be moved by gravity into interlocking engagement with the ratchet bar 23 to again lock the gate 11. As there is a multiplicity of teeth in the ratchet bar 23, the lock dog 19 will beheld thereby in different closed positions of he gate 11.

When the operating lever 12 is mo ed into neutral position to stop the car 8, the head 34: and parts carried thereby, including the cam bar 25, will move downward under the action of gravity to position said cambar to release the lock dog 19, but in case they should stick, the roller-equipped stud 47 will engage the respective cam surface a6 and thereby positively force said parts: downward. I i

In case the car 8 is stopped with the roller-equipped stud 26 in engagement with the lower end of the cam bar 25, said rollerequipped stud, during the movement of the rocker 13 as the gate 11 is opened, will be moved downward out of engagement with said cam bar, which will release said cam bar and thereby permit the head 34- to move downward and releasethe roller-equipped stud 47 fromvthe lock notch 48, which in turn releases the operating lever 12-were it not for the cam surface 29 onto which said roller-equipped "stud moves from the cam bar 25, and thereby continues to' hold the operating lever 12 in neutral position.

The purpose of the spring'38 is to yield and permit .the. rod 35 to move upward through the sleeve bearing 36 and'permit an extreme receding movement of the cam bar 25, in case the same'engages the rollerequipped stud 26 on the lock dog 19 when the gatell is open and thecar moved while making repairs on the elevator or inspecting the same- This extreme movement of the cam bar 25 is required for the reason' or piston.

that the head 34; would be held by the rollerequipped stud 47.

The-elements 8 and 4L7, inclusive, and 49 and 50"are identical with the elements 8 to 47, inclusive, and 49 and 50, in Figs. 1 and 2, and'they'function in' the same mannotch 48 is dispensed with. In'this' form nor, with the single exception that the lock? of the invention, I provide means for automaticallymoving the operating, lever 12 from neutral position to ofiset any tendency of the car 8 to-Inove, due to a leaky valve or leakage around a piston. Said means includes a toothed upright bar 51 and a cooperating horizontal swinging lockr blade 52, the former of which is slidably mounted in a guide .53 secured to the outside of, the

car 8, and thevlatter of which is pivoted. at 541- to the building floor 10.- Aguard 55 secured to the building floor 10' and overlying the lock blade 52 where it engages the toothed bar 51, holds said lock blade against lifting movement from the floor The free end of the lock blade 52 is connected to the rocker 13 below its-pivot 14' by a connecting rod 56. When the gate 11 is closed, the connecting rod 56 holds the lock blade 52 released from the toothed bar 51. V

' lever 57 is intermediately fulcrumed to a bracket 58, on the under side of the floor of'car 8, and its long end is connected to the lower end of the toothed bar '51 by a link 59. On the short end of the'leve'r 57 is a sliding counter-weight-60. The lever 57 is also connected to 'theoperating lever '12 by an arm 61 movable with said operating lever and adjustably attached by ;a link 62 to the intermediate portion of the long end of the lever 57.

tion from its closed position inFig. '3, the movement of the rocker 13, through the connecting rod 56, will carry the lock blade 52 into interlocking engagement with the toothed bar 51. In case the car 8' should move, when the gate 11 is open, the lever 57, which is held by the look blade 52,

toothed bar 51 and link 59 will, through the arm 61 and link 62, move the operating lever 12 into a position to cause the car 8 to move in a reversedirection from which it is being moved by the leakage at the valve Referring now to the construction illustrated in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the elements 8' to 33 inclusive, are identical with the elements 8 to 33,*inclusive, and theysfun'ction in a like manner, but in place of being applied to an electric elevator,having a coni trolling orswitohacting lever64 pivoted to a housing 65, which, in turn, is secured to the elevator 8. Within the housing 65 are secured contacts 66 with which the lever 105 When the gate 11 is moved-to open posihe contacts 66 are wires 67 placed in a conduit not shown,-wh1ch extends from the floor of the car 8 to the housing 65.

A rectangular head 69 is connected tothe 7 link 33* by a rod 70, the lower end of which ls pivoted to said link and the upper end of which extends through an offset sleeve 71 on the lower end of the head 69 andis adjustably secured thereto by opposing nuts 72. The head 69 is secured to the elevator 3? by a nut-equipped bolt 73 anchored to said elevator and extended through a vertical slot- 74 and in an extension on the upper end of said head. The offset sleeve 71 extends through a slot 75 in the elevator 8 with freedom for vertical movement and holds the head 69 against pivotal movement on the bolt 73. A roller-equipped stud 76 is secured to the switch lever 64, on center from its pivot, and extends into the rectangular head 69 and supports the same when in neutral position, as shown in Fig. 5.

Formed in the lower end of the head 69 is a lock notch 77 arranged to receive a stud 76' on the head 69 when the gate 11 is open and the head 69 raised by the engagement of the cam bar 25 with the roller equipped stud 26", to lock the switch lever 6st in neutral position. As the rollerequi'pped stud 76 is off center, a movement of the switch lever 64, either to the left or to the right, to start the car 8 will cause said roller-equipped stud to lift the head 69 and. thereby move the cam bar 25 into an inoperative position so that it will pass the roller-equipped stud 26 without unlatching the lock for the elevator gate 11 As a further safeguard to prevent the car 8 from being moved when the gate 11 is open, I provide a normally closed secondary switch. This switch comprises a pair of fixed contacts 78 and a co-operating segmental contact 79 normally engaging! said two fixed contacts. The fixed contacts 78 are interposed in one of the lead wires67,

' secured to the car 8 and insulated therefrom. The movable contact 7 8 is mounted on an insulating disc 80 pivoted to the car8 and having an arm 81 connected to the rod 70 by a clamp 82. Thisarm 81 and clamp 82 are connected by a slot and pin connection 83. The arrangement of the movable contact 7 9 is such that. when the rod 70 is raised by the engagement of the cam bar 25 with the roller-equipped stud 26, the disc 80 is oscillated and thereby moves the movable contact 79 out of engagement with one of the fixed contacts 78 and breaks the cir-. cuit. hen the gate is closed, the head 69 drops, under the action oi": gravity, and thereby releases the stud 76-irom the lock notch 77 to permit the switchlever- 6a to be operated, and, at the same t me, the down-Q ward movement of the r0d70 oscillates the.

disc 80 and again completes the circuit between the fixed contacts 7 8.

What I claim is:

1. In a, lock of the kind described, the

and normally holding thesame to lock the gate closed, and means carried by the elevator car for releasing'thelatch when the" operating lever is moved to neutral position to permit the gate to be opened.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said means locks the operating lever in neutral position when the gate is open.

3. The structure defined in claim l in which the latch in turn operates said means to lock the operating lever in neutral position when the gate is open.

t. In a lock of the kind described, the combination with an elevator car having an operating lever and a shaft closure ate, of a rocker operated by the movement ot the gate, a latch pivoted to therocker and normally holding the same to lock the gate closed, and means carried by the elevator car for releasing the latch when saidoperating lever is moved to neutral position to permit the gate to be opened, the movement of the rocker during the opening movement of the gate being such as to carry the pivot of the latch beyond a dead center.

loo

5.'The structure defined in claim a in I which saidmeans tends to move the latch with its pivot beyond a dead center.

6. In a lock of the 'kind described, the

combination with an elevator car having an operating lever and a shaft closure gate, of

a rocker operated byythe movement of the gate, a lock dog pivoted to the rocker, a ratchet with which the lock dog normally engages to hold the rocker ina position to lock the gate closed, and means carried by the elevator car for releasing the lock dog from the ratchet when the o cratin lever, is

moved to neutral position to permit the'gate to be opened.

7. The structure defined in claim 6 in which the latch when moved to a released position in turn operates said means to lock the operating lever 1H neutral position when the gate is open.

8. In a IOCK of the kind described, the com-.

bination with an elevator car having anoperating lever and a shaft closure gate, of-a rocker operated by the movement of the gate,

a ratchet, an abutment, a lock dog pivoted to v the rocker and working between the ratchet,v and abutment, said lock dog normally engaging the ratchet to'hold the rocker in a position to lock the gate closed,and means carried by the elevator car for releasing the lock dog from the ratchet when the operating lever is moved to neutral position to permit the gate to be opened, said lock dog when moved to a releasing position engaging the abutment and in turn operating said means to lock the operating lever in neutral position when the gate is open.

9. In a lock of the kind described, the

combination with an elevator car having an operating lever and a shaft closure gate, of a rocker operated by the movement of the gate, a ratchet, a lock dog having an oifset striking surface, said lock dog being pivoted to the rocker and normally engaging the ratchet to hold the rocker in a position to lock the gate closed, a cam bar carried by the elevator car, and means for actuating the cam bar from the operating lever to position the same for engagement with the striking surface of the lock dog to release said lock dog from the ratchet when the operating lever is moved to neutral position.

10. The structure defined in claim 9 in which the cam bar is arranged to engage the striking surface on the lock dog in predetermined positions of the floor of the elevator car above or belowthe level of the building floor.

11. In a lock of the kind described, the combination with an elevator car having an operating lever and a shaft closure gate, of a rocker operated by the movement of the gate, a ratchet, an abutment, alockdog having an offset striking surface, said lock dog being pivoted to the rocker, working between the ratchet and the abutment and normally engaging the ratchet to hold the rocker in position to lock the gate closed, a cam bar carried by the elevator car, and

means for actuating the cam bar from the.

operating lever to positionthe. same for engagement with the striking surface of the lock dog to release the same from the ratchet when the operating lever is moved to a neutral position, said lock dog when moved to a releasing position engaging the abutment and in turn operating the cam bar to cause said means to lock the operating lever in neutral position.

12. The structure defined in claim 11 in which the cam bar is arranged to engage the striking surface on the lock dog in'predetermined positions of the floor of the elevator car above or below the level of the building floor.

combination with anclcva-tor car having an operating lever and a'shaft closure gate,"of a rocker operated by the movement of the gate, a latch normally holding the rocker to lock tie gate closed, operating devices in-' eluding a head having lock notch undreversel extended cam surfaces a cam bar carriedby the elevator car, said operating devices when the operating lever is in neu tral position being arranged to hold the cam bar in position to release the latch and per mit the gate to be opened, and a stud on the operating lever for engagement with the cam a neutral position by a movement imparted to thecam bar'from the latch when in a released position.

15. The structure defined in claim 14: in Which said operating devices are provided with a yielding section to permit the cam bar to be moved into an inoperative position when the operating lever is held locked in a neutral position.

16. In a lock of the kind described, the

combination with an elevator car having a main switch and a normally closed secondary switch and a shaft closure gate, of a rocker operated by the movement of the gate, a latch normally holding the rocker to lock the gate closed, and means carried by the elevator car for releasing the latch, when the main switch is moved to neutral position to permit the gate' to be open-ed and for opening the secondary switch by the opening I movement of the gate.

17. The structure defined in claim '1 in further combination with a stop for limiting the releasing movement of the latch, and which means is operated by the latch when held by the stop to lock the lever'in neutral position.

18. The structure defined in'claim 1 in which said means includes a cam bar having an oii'set for engagement with the latch, in case'said latch is moved out of engagement with the cam bar, when the gate is open, to cause said means to continue to hold the operating lever in neutral position.

19. Ina lock of the kind described, the I combination with an elevator car having an operating leverand a shaft closure gate, of a rocker operated by a movement of the gate, a vibratory lock dog carried by the rocker, a ratchet normally engaged by the lock dog to lock the gate closed, and means carried by the elevator car for releasing the lock dog when the operating lever is moved to neutral position to permit the gate to be opened. r

20. The structure defined in claim 19in further combination with a stop for limiting the releasing movement of the rocker, and Which means is operated by the latch when held by the stop to lock the lever in neutral position.

21. In a lock of the kind described, the combination with an elevator car having an operating lever and a shaft closure gate, of a rocker operated by a movement of the gate, a latch normally holding the rocker to lock the gate closed, means including a cam bar carried by the elevator car for releasing the latch when the operating lever is moved to neutral position to permit the gate to be opened, said means being operative tolock the operating lever in neutral position when the gate is open, said means having a yielding section which permits the cam bar to be moved to an inoperative position While the operating lever is locked in a neutral position. 1

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

EDWIN CARLSON. 

